Best Street Display!

My Aunt sent me these pictures of some Mormon Missionaries somewhere in Russia. I would have loved to do that street display with the elders. I can only imagine how successful it would have been.

When I was in the Ukraine, as a missionary, we weren't allowed to do street displays. There were two ways that we could find people to share the gospel with, the first was referrals. Referrals were a fantastic way to find interested people, because they already knew a little about the Church because of their friend. The other way was much harder, we could stop people on the street and ask them about whether or not they believed in God. It was not an easy way to start a conversation.

A friend was sealed...

There are many things about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that really make me happy and grateful to be a Mormon. The other day I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend a sealing at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

A sealing is a marriage that takes place for not only time on this earth but for the eternities. It is a blessing that ties you together with your spouse and children after you have left this earth. It is a very special occasion for all who choose to enter into this covenant.

If you would like to read more about what goes on in the Mormon Temples, click here and read about it.

Kris and Dennis have been through a lot to get to sealed for eternity. Sitting in the room with them and their family and friends was so beautiful. The love in Dennis' eyes as he looked at his lovely wife was so touching and sweet. The gentlemen that was conducting the ordinance was so inspiring. He told them to remember that each of them are alive because of each other and that if things get difficult, remember that they are here for one another.

I loved getting to share that very special day with them. Thank you for inviting me, Kris and Dennis. You are an amazing couple!

Our Relief Society Project

My friend, Rachel, asked me if I had some pictures of the temples that we could use for Relief Society. Members of the Church of Jesus Christ have been asked to have a picture of a Temple hanging in their homes. (There are three things you will find hanging on many Mormon's walls- A picture of Christ, as He is the center of our religion, a picture of a temple, and a copy of the "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."

I had already taken some of Oquirrh Mountain and St George, but I didn't have any that I was really happy with of the Mount Timpanogos Temple. So, the other morning, I left early to work so that I could stop and take some pictures in the morning light. Then a few days later, we went to dinner up in Salt Lake, and we decided to take a walk around the Salt Lake Temple, so I could get some night pictures.

Here are the ones we're using for Relief Society. The women get to pick what size frame their 8x10 print will go in, which temple picture they would like and if they want color, sepia or black and white.

Our Conference Sunday project...

I love General Conference. I love getting to hear the words and counsel of the Lord's servants. I love making a special breakfast and gathering the girls to listen to the Prophet of the Lord speak. I love when the Mormon Tabernacle sings and Ivy asks if they are from our church. I love picking a task that will keep the girls quiet and in the family room listening.

This fall, the girls made tutus. They were really easy and fun to make. The only downside is that they didn't even take as long as the morning session. But, the girls love them and Jade has been wearing hers ever since we finished them. Both girls adorned themselves with eyeshadow and lipstick.

I remember Conference Sundays when I was little. We would gather in the family room to watch our church leaders share their testimonies and give us guidance. One of the memories I have of every conference is of painting our toe nails and finger nails. Isn't that funny? But we always did it. I also remember doing cross stitch and crocheting around the edges of towels. As we got older, we would take notes in our journals of the things said that impressed us.

***Conference is a special time for Mormons. It happens twice a year and there are 5 sessions that are each 2 hours long. There are 3 sessions on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Our prophet and leader, President Thomas S Monson addresses us, as do others that have been asked and invited to serve along side of President Monson. During these meetings we learn about the things that we need to focus on and be reminded of. It is also a time when we learn of the progress the church is making and the announcements of temples that will be built.

To learn more, please visit www.lds.org.

Ward Pool Party

We haven't always been participants in our church activities. It's just one of those things we have, in the past, chosen not to take the time to do. Scott and I are so busy with work that any free time we have, we either want to play with the girls or get stuff done. All of that changed when our friends got put in as the Activity Chairs. We love them, so we support them and their activities. It also helps that they do throw a pretty awesome party.

For the end of summer party, they rented the local pool and had a huge BBQ. There was so much food at this party and yet the desserts still managed to get pretty cleaned out. With some of the amazing bakers we have in our neighborhood, it's no surprise everyone saved plenty of room for desserts.

Since I ALWAYS have my camera in tow, I took some cute pictures of a few of the kids at the party. I've said this before, I think people may find me obnoxious to always have my camera in front of my face, but it's something that I love doing and to get really good at it, I need to spend as many hours as I can taking pictures.

We weren't going to stay for the pool party, because I had to prepare my lesson for the next day, but the girls convinced us to stay. The diving board provided for a great deal of entertainment. There were several kids that were absolutely fearless and jumped multiple times from the high dive.

I did have a bit of a fright with Jade, the child with no fear. She asked if she could go off the high dive. I told her sure but that she needed to jump, not flip or dive. Apparently she didn't hear me. She started out with a beautiful dive and my heart began racing. I could just see her hitting the water and coming up crying because her head hurt from the impact. Instead, she decided to flip- at the last minute. (She says her body just started to rotate, but either way, it turned into a flip). Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough air left for her to finish the rotation. She landed smack on her back. So up she came, crying from the pain of the impact. The sweet daughter of the bishop dove in after her and helped her to the edge. Jade thanked her, cried for a minute longer and headed back up the high dive. From then on, she just jumped from the high dive and flipped from the low dive.

There is a picture, above, of our Bishop diving off the high dive and several pictures of some of the cute kids in the ward making their graceful entrances into the pool. Some of them "diving" feet first and others cannon balling it. But, to end the night, Tyler transformed himself into the "Flying Squirrel" and I was lucky enough to capture some of his best moments on film.

It was a very fun night. Unfortunately, we won't be supporting them for the Camp Out in September because it is the same weekend as Peach Days. And you KNOW we aren't about to miss Peach Days, the parade, car show and really yummy peach cobbler. Some family traditions are just too important to miss, even for a really fun church camp out!

The St George Temple

On the last day of our get away, we went to breakfast and then we wandered around the temple grounds. It was pretty funny because it just wasn't what we expected. We are so used to Temple Square, where there are a million flowers and photo spots. Brianna (who is an accomplished wedding photographer) said that she would hate to do a wedding there, because there just aren't any great picture spots. The temple, itself, is absolutely gorgeous. The grounds- not so much. Because it only took us 5 minutes to walk the whole temple grounds, I didn't get a lot of pictures of the kids or the families. If there were some pretty spots, I would have asked Bri to take some pictures of us. But, no luck. I did get some pictures of the temple and a couple of pictures of the three girls. Sometimes, you just have to be okay with what you get. PS- Jade didn't even come up with any places for me to take pictures, and she's usually pointing out angles.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Living in Utah, we are very fortunate to be surrounded by temples. From my office window, I can see 3 temples- 2 of which are brand new. I'm so glad that my little girls have gotten to experience open house tours of both of them this year. My girls are very excited to get married in a temple. Ivy is certain she is going to get married in the Oquirrh Mountain temple. We'll see.

My mom coordinated this trip, Aunt Kat coordinated the last trip. It was really fun to get to go tour this temple with all of Uncle Tom's family and Aunt Kat's family and Grandpa and Grandma. Unfortunately Scott and Jon weren't able to get out of work. At least we were able to get a picture of all of the grand kids at the temple.

Youngest Kitten's Baptism

My cousin's youngest daughter just turned 8 and was baptized. She had an awesome girlie girl birthday party where the girls got all glammed and also did some glamming to Cass, Emily and my aunt. The day after her party was her baptism.

I really liked that they had an individual meeting for each child that was being baptized. When I got baptized, in the same church, we had maybe 5 or 6 other kids being baptized. Which meant I had no say about who gave the talks or said the prayers. I really liked that she got to pick and that the program was all about her and her family.

Cass and Dan did a wonderful job with the service and then with the family feast after. We are so glad we got to be part of her day. Congratulations and we are very proud of her!

The four in the middle picture are quite the group. Youngest kitten and Jade are so excited for summer, because that means Dilia and Asher will be in town for several weeks of play time. Jade is the youngest and doesn't get to play as often. The other three all live through the backyard from each other- at least during the summer.

The bottom picture is of all but one the girl cousins. 3 of them are my cousin Cass', 2 are my cousin Em's, 1 is my brother's and of course the remaining 2 are mine. Ezzie wasn't in the picture. (I'm not sure why).

A Night to Remember- Ward Prom 2009

I may have graduated from high school 19 years ago, but last Friday night, I got to go to "Prom." I never got to go to prom while I was in high school, so I was excited to get to go as a 37 year old- with the love of my life.

I took some pictures of the wall flowers, the Prom King and Queen and the dancers.

I love that our ward activities committee decided to take on a prom. They did a fantastic job on the decorations, the music had songs from every era, there was a ton of really good food, and really fun outfits. Rumor is that they are going to do it again next spring. I really hope they do.

My First Prom...

"A Night to Remember"

Lehi 34th Ward Prom

May 15, 2009

Draper Temple Open House

Several months ago, my sister put together a family outing for the Draper Temple Open House. She wasn't sure how every one's schedule was so she planned it for the 14th and hoped everyone would be available. My parents went to Hawaii, so they were not able to come with us. We met up at the stake center. I couldn't believe how big the crowd was. We were scheduled for 3:00. It was 4:00 before we even got in to the video portion. Then we waited in that room for about 15 minutes after the video until we boarded the bus. The little kids loved their first bus ride. The big kids listened to the guide and commented as he spoke about Temples. Finally we were into the temple.

The temple was beautiful. I loved the stone baseboards, the warm wood and the cream/tan coloring. I would love to do the same coloring in our bedroom. Maybe I'll consider those colors for my basement. It was so beautiful, calming and comforting.

Both of the girls favorite room was the sealing room, "where we will get married." While we were in the sealing room, a couple shared with us the importance of families being sealed for time and all eternity. In the sealing rooms, they have a mirror on each side of the room. When you look in one mirror, you can see forever and ever. This is symbolic of how our marriages are for eternity. The girls loved looking in the mirrors.

After the tour, we went over to the stake center by the temple for cookies and water. I was so shocked as I looked around. There were kids with stacks of 5-6 cookies each. I was so proud of our kids. Ivy only wanted 1 cookie and Jade and Luke each only wanted one. But, the cookies were really good.

I am so grateful that we have so many beautiful temples around us. I love that we can see temples any day that we want to . I'm so glad that the girls recognize a temple and understand that the temple is the House of God and a very sacred place on earth. I look forward to the day that we are sitting in a sealing room again, while each of them kneel together with their sweet husband and vow to be together for time and all eternity.

Sweet Jade, is so afraid of growing up. When I talked to her about one day getting married in the temple, she started to cry because it makes her so nervous to grow up. I told her that if she follows the teachings of the prophets, listens to her teachers in church and turns to her mom and dad for help, then there is nothing to be afraid of. I pray that she follows my advise and then I truly believe everything will turn out for her. She is a special little girl.

Thanks, Aunt Kat for putting together this activity. The temple was beautiful. The company was fantastic and the experience was perfect for a Saturday afternoon.

Learning about the Temple...

When I was younger, we would get together with my cousins at least once a month for Sunday dinner. We gathered for birthdays and holidays. Now, we can go months without seeing them. It makes me very sad, but I guess everyone is just very busy.

A little over a week ago, we decided to gather. My uncle is a very wise man in the lessons of the gospel, so we got together for a Family Home Evening of sorts. The Draper Temple is currently open to visitors for an Open House. For many, if not all of the little kids, this is their first time getting to walk through a temple. So, we wanted to make sure they were prepared.

My mom did a very thoughtful lesson for the little kids and showed them pictures and talked about the sacred ordinances that take place inside the temple walls.

Then uncle shared with us the history of temples and tabernacles. It was a very thought provoking discussion and I greatly enjoyed hearing uncle speak to the family.

There were several members of the family not there, and here's a shout out to all of you that you were missed.

Father-Kid Camp Out

This weekend our church had the Father-Kid camp out. I'm really glad that they made it "kid" instead of limiting it to sons. Scott wouldn't ever get to participate if it really was just for the boys. They had a fantastic time.

Justin helped the kids with their fishing poles. Unfortunately they "didn't catch any fish because they were all dead." At least that is what Jade told me when they called to say good night.

The kids had an absolute blast running around. Scott said it was better the night they got there than in the morning. Jade was wearing a pink shirt and stood out on Friday. In her black and jeans she blended in a bit more and made it hard for him to keep track of her.

They went to a private campground not far from Thanksgiving Point.

Afterwards, Jade was exhausted. I asked her if she had fun, here is her answer...
"Not so much. I don't want to go camping again. I didn't catch any fish and I got hurt." (She burned her finger playing with fire). So I asked her if she wanted to go camping again. To that she answered "YES!" So, even with a burnt finger and no fish, she wants to do it again.

Wednesday night and my first RS lesson is prepared

It's been a really long time since I've had a teaching calling. The last one I had was in Kentucky. Scott and I co-taught the 14-15 year olds. They were a fantastic class and I can't believe they are all getting ready to graduate. Wow, time flies. Anyway, before that I taught in the Young Women's organization. I loved both of those callings. But, back then, there were several blogs that I could go to where people had prepared the lessons and were sharing them for others that might be preparing the same lesson. I loved going to those blogs to learn, gather and prepare. Well, I CAN'T FIND THEM ANYMORE!!!!! Oh well, I did go to the LDS Living site that I mentioned in the post called "Family Home Evening". I found a great conference talk from last year, that I did end up pulling from.



I'm really excited to get to teach again. I've really missed it. It is so exciting for me to get to spend a few hours focused on reading about the gospel. It's not uninterupted time, but it's time that I feel helps me be a better wife and mother. Oh, and getting to serve, always makes me happier!

Solemn Assembly

Today I had both girls watch the solemn assembly. Since it has only happened 15 times in the history of the church, I felt it was important that they participate in it- even at 2 years old.

The meeting began with announcing President Monson as the new prophet. Jade turned to me and said, "Mom, they made a mistake, it's President Hinkley." I guess she wasn't really paying attention when I explained to her how President Hinkley had died and that President Monson would be the new prophet. But, on the other hand, at least she was listening to conference to think they had made a mistake.

It was a very special moment to have Jade and Ivy stand up when they had the whole body of the church stand to sustain the new First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve. Jade raised her hand and I explained in her ear what she had just done. She sweetly just smiled.

Family Home Evening

I'm sure you all know about this site.. http://ldslivingmagazine.com/subs/show/6 but I had forgotten about it and came across it again this morning. It really is fantastic. My girls are still a little young to benefit from a lesson this complex, but he still gives really good ideas. In fact, it even gives treat recipes.

This same website gives lesson helps if you are in Sunday School, Primary, Young Men's or Young Women's. When I taught YW, I would go to this site a lot, plus I purchased some lesson CD's from Deseret Book that really added a lot.

Sacrament Talk- ah it's over.

I have posted my talk in Google Docs. But I'm having a hard time getting it to post to my blog from Google Docs. I'll keep working on it and will post an update. Until then, here is the public link of it... http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgxknxb5_1djqfq2gp

Speaking in Sacrament Meeting! YIKES!

So here I am, working on my talk for sacrament meeting. Suffering from a migraine and only wanting to sleep. I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed to be the Easter program. As I look back on my life in the church, speaking has never been something that stressed me out. Teaching always seemed to be a breeze. So why am I having such a hard time now? Well, I figured it out. Speaking in church or teaching are not like riding a bike. It's been almost 5 years since we last spoke in church. We were asked to speak in church in Michigan, but it was for two weeks after I was to be back in Utah. So we didn't have to speak that time. Then we were in the condo ward, where we never really got involved. We knew it was super temporary- so no sacrament talks there. Now, we've been in our ward for a year and we aren't going anywhere, so they got us. Now, if we'd been teaching during that 5 year, this wouldn't be as big of a deal. Unfortunately, it's been 3 years since I've had a calling. Last summer I went to the bishop and asked for a calling, but apparently there just isn't the right one for me, right now. Maybe it's because I'm a workaholic and a mom. Who knows, but either way, this talk is STRESSING ME OUT!!!!! I've got 7 minutes written and 6 more to go.